1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to portable personal computers in general, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for changing the display direction of a screen of a tablet personal computer.
2. Description of Related Art
In personal computers (PCs), a thin type capable of operating a liquid crystal display (LCD) through input using a pen is called a tablet PC. In a tablet PC, when an operation is performed through input using a pen without utilizing a keyboard, functions equivalent to those of a notebook PC can be realized. When an operation based on input using a pen is carried out, a user often holds a tablet PC by one hand and holds a touch pen in the other hand to direct a touch panel input section on a display screen.
For example, when a user operates a tablet PC through input using a pen while standing, holding the tablet PC along a wide side of a substantially rectangular parallel-piped housing being set as a vertical side may help the user's grasp or viewing in some cases. On the other hand, when the user operates the tablet PC placed on a desk, setting the wide side in a lateral direction may help the user's viewing. Thus, the tablet PC is usually configured to change a display direction of a screen (which will be referred to as a screen direction hereinafter). In the prior art, a rotation button is usually placed at an edge of a display periphery, and a screen direction is rotated every 90 degrees when the user presses the button. As a result, the user can adjust the screen direction accordingly.
The present disclosure provides an improved method for changing the screen direction without the need for a user to press the rotation button.